


Young Hearts, New Tricks

by The_Myth_Rider



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dense Byleth Eisner, Dogs, Edelgard and Byleth have dogs, Edelgard's dog is Shadow, F/F, Gay Panic, Modern AU, Pining Edelgard von Hresvelg, Sothis is a maniacal dachshund/poodle mix, and there was only one time slot, enough said, gay pining, they both need obedience training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23331802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Myth_Rider/pseuds/The_Myth_Rider
Summary: Edelgard loves her dog, Shadow, very dearly; and the feeling is mutual. However, even the sweetest, goodest boy can be in dire need of some obedience training. It just so happens that her old friend, Dorothea, has such a service to provide. However, nothing can ever be easy or simple, now can it?
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 7
Kudos: 77





	Young Hearts, New Tricks

**Author's Note:**

> The idea got stuck in my head, and I had to.

“This insubordination has gone on long enough.” Edelgard chided, her tone biting and commanding. 

A gentle breeze teased at her low ponytail, the soft brown-white mixed locks hardly moved by the soft force. The sun was on its way to setting, and the sky grew warm with its evening hues. As always, Edelgard’s expansive backyard was a comforting environment, its tall trees and small water feature giving a delightful illusion of wild nature. But despite the serenity of the scene, she scowled mightily at the individual before her.

“You’re brave, loyal, and a strong force to have at my back. But these foolish games, this... _ orneriness _ cannot stand! You are my dearest friend, but I will not allow you to continue on like this.”

The giant, black-furred dog continued to pant lazily, his bright blue eyes still locked on her face.

Even sitting down, with his front slouched low, the mongrel dog nearly towered over her. Edelgard would never sell herself short, but she sorely accepted being slightly shorter than average. The dog, meanwhile, was an absolute beast of a creature. Only his submissive, docile, downright sweet nature kept him from being labeled a proper wolf.

Edelgard sighed and rubbed at her temples at Shadow’s continued stoicism.

“If I’ve said it once, Shadow, I’ve said it a thousand times.” She gestured emphatically at the glaringly obvious pile of excrement that sat next to the stairs of the back porch. “Stop doing your business by the stairs! I trust you’re aware of the rest of the backyard, we’ve run through it together plenty of times!”

Shadow dropped his head lower, his pants silenced as he closed his mouth and whined. His long ears drooped meekly on his head.

Edelgard merely shook her head. “Don’t give me that look, sir. I know full well what your motivations are. But please, don’t make me beg! What if someone isn’t looking and steps in it? Like Hubert, for example?”

Shadow’s fuzzy maw opened wide and his tongue lolled out, and his blue eyes all but sparkled. Those once sad ears stood high and proud now.

Edelgard covered her face with a hand, if only to hide her own smile. “But of course that wouldn’t dissuade you.”

The large dog leaned forward and rose to stand on his large paws. He slowly loped up to her and nosed at her hand. Low whines echoed from his closed mouth, and a tentative tongue peaked out to lay a gentle kiss to her cheek. The soft gestures in stark contrast to Shadow’s large, fearsome visage always managed to make Edelgard melt. This moment was no exception, as she giggled and reached out with both hands to scratch behind both ears.

“You are the biggest baby I have ever met, are you aware of that?” Edelgard inquired of the beast, a loving inflection to her voice.

Shadow answered with another meek lick, ears still high at attention and large, beyond fluffy tail wagging happily. He may be ornery and excitable, but Edelgard was grateful her dog quickly learned not to give his person kisses with his whole tongue. Though she often struggled to bring him to obey some commands, when it came to her wellbeing, the mongrel was attentive and willing.

The pair went back inside, the fresh landmine deftly dodged by both on their way to the porch stairs. The wood, well built and sturdy, still creaked and complained at the weight of the bearish dog. Edelgard unlatched and pulled aside the sliding door, and gave Shadow time to happily bound inside. As she followed and closed the door back, she heard the telltale creaks of leather from the nearby sitting room.

Edelgard smiled and shook her head as she stepped into the room, lilac eyes on Shadow. The dog was comfortably lounged on a leather loveseat; which was, in fact, his own personal couch. Shadow heaved a mighty yawn, tongue curled tightly at the action, before he nestled his head on his mighty paws. Edelgard affectionately watched her dog get comfortable, before she settled into her recliner with laptop in tow.

A few hours of silence followed, as the pair spent the last legs of the evening relaxed. Shadow lazed and napped the time away, while Edelgard was a fury of work on her laptop. From drafting emails to send to colleagues, to going over ones sent to her, to reviewing various proposals and giving either her approval or refusal. It was far better than when she had to physically be in the office, and deal with the moronic board in person.

Edelgard had never once regretted stepping down from being CEO of the Adrestia Corporation, not when it was all too easy to stand by and provide people in more need with her input.

Eventually, as the sun long since vanished and the moon made its mark, an intriguing ad managed to catch Edelgard’s eye. Normally, she dutifully ignored the things, rarely needing what they offer no matter how hard the algorithm tried. But for once, the ad proposed something that actually drew her attention. Edelgard hovered the cursor over the ad for several moments, and reread the name of the service a dozen times over.

_ Dorothea’s Diligent Dog Training — Obedience Earned, Not Taken! ;) _

The winky face in the title made Edelgard narrow her eyes, but she wasn’t surprised. She knew the person behind the class, after all; Dorothea Arnault, a diva turned college student, now turned dog trainer, it seemed. Last she’d known, the woman had planned to enter some field where she could help young displaced children. Either she changed her mind, or had free time to start a canine obedience class.

_ Hmm...she always did have a way with animals, to be fair. _ Edelgard mused, as she remembered how no creature could resist Dorothea’s near Disney Princess level charms.

Edelgard glanced over the top of her laptop at where Shadow lay on his loveseat. By now, he’d been asleep long enough to have sprawled over the cushions. Long, heavy limbs strewn randomly about, while his thick black fur was on its way to becoming near mythical degrees of bedhead. But as always, what really drew her eye was the...abnormalities in his fur, that made Shadow...different.

The crimson streaks of fur that broke up the abyssal majority caught her attention. Though the patterns they formed in the black were natural to a dog, the color very much was not. It was a true, deep red that almost made Shadow look like a hellhound. Edelgard knew exactly what they were from, and absently rubbed at her sleeved arms.

There was a reason, after all, why Shadow didn’t usually get walks beyond the premises.

But he was in bad need of better habits, ones that she couldn’t seem to convince him were necessary. It wasn’t just ill-placed landmines in the backyard, after all. Though they were so close, to the point that boy-and-his-dog stories  _ wished _ they were like them, Shadow was stubborn and willful. It would do both him and Edelgard good to take a few obedience lessons.

As Edelgard’s eyes returned to the ad, she chewed her lower lip and clicked the link. The least she could do was take a look, really. It’s not like the link automatically signed her up, or that if there was a bug and it did, she wouldn’t be unable to cancel it. No, just a peak would suffice, to read up on what Dorothea had crafted. But as she read on, Edelgard was quite surprised to find that her old colleague had planned matters out quite well.

Private one-on-one sessions with her clients and their dogs. No massive groups, no dogs getting riled up at each other, no judgement or anything at all. This would allow Edelgard the security of her poor Shadow not getting looked at distastefully.

Or, worse...him getting found by the people who stained his fur with their ownership in the first place.

Her mind now made up, Edelgard wasted no time and found the online application form. It was simple and easy to fill out, and a part of her wondered if Dorothea set this up herself. She shook that thought away, most likely not; knowing the diva, she probably hired someone to assist. If she did, Edelgard would have to find out who, as they did tremendous work. Though she was no slouch in the tech department herself, Edelgard could see that the web designer made sure to keep the form as clearcut and non-confusing as possible.

Once the form was filled out, and Edelgard had triple checked her input, she sent it and closed her laptop. She got up and put it in its personal drawer of her coffee table, careful not to make too much sound. She then slowly approached Shadow, and hovered a hand near his nose. The dark pink organ twitched as it instinctively caught her scent, and bright blue eyes blearily blinked open.

“Wake up, baby…” She cooed, and gave a gentle scratch to the back of his ears.

Shadow groaned a mighty but sleepy hello, and pulled himself upright. The groan rose in pitch until his mouth opened wide, tongue curled tight in a grandiose yawn. His long ears flopped to and fro as he shook his head, and looked up at Edelgard. She almost melted at the sight of a blep, bright reddish-pink tongue tip on full adorable display.

“Do you want a piggy-back ride?” She asked him, one eyebrow raised incredulously.

The beastly dog merely pushed himself up into a sit, and raised a large paw to bat at the air. Edelgard chuckled at the obvious “yes!”, and turned around to hoist the dog onto her back. Despite his great weight and size, Edelgard was plenty strong enough to carry him herself. It also helped that Shadow knew just how to cling to her back, and distribute his great weight efficiently.

This was  _ far _ from his first piggy-back ride, after all.

Edelgard soldiered up the stairs with her treasured burden, and hurried to her bedroom. A vast king-sized bed awaited them, and she quickly deposited the huge mongrel onto the mattress. Shadow didn’t hesitate to make himself comfortable, on the side of the bed he knew to be his. He laid there as Edelgard got around for bed. She threw her used clothes of the day into the dirty bin, and rushed to get into her sleepwear.

The only thing that bothered her more than Shadow’s crimson fur, were her many scars. Though pale and old by now, they never ceased to make a pit settle in her stomach. By the time she was dressed for sleep, and got herself to bed and uber the covers, a sour mood had already taken to her. As if he detected it, which was no doubt the case, Shadow wasted no time to cuddle close and nose her face.

Edelgard couldn’t help an affectionate smile at his gentle prodding.

“I’ll be okay, Shadow.” She whispered as she stroked the mass of fur at his jaw. “Sleep well, baby boy…”

* * *

The next morning, as she checked her phone while still in bed, Edelgard was surprised to see she’d received an email from Dorothea.

_ Dear Edelgard, _

_ Oh my god, I couldn’t believe it when I got the notification of the application! You have a dog? Oh, he sounds like such a dear! I can’t wait to meet him, and reunite with you. It really has been far too long, hasn’t it, Edie? Ah well, we’ll have as long as your Shadow needs classes to fix that, though don’t think I won’t try to drag you into some people hangouts. ;) _

_ Oh, and I noticed you listed Shadow’s breed as “Other”, but didn’t comment to elaborate. And I know you well enough to know this is no accident. I must admit, I’m intrigued to see both whatever entails such mystery, and what manner of beast could have nuzzled his way into your heart! _

_ With love, _

_ Dorothea <3 _

Even in text, the lovely woman didn’t seem to have changed one bit. That actually comforted Edelgard, as now she didn’t have to worry about getting to know Dorothea all over again. The assurance of reuniting with an old friend was apparently sorely needed, though Edelgard refused to admit to such. She looked down at the weight on her chest, and giggled at the sight of Shadow’s large, all but maned head rested on her torso. Meanwhile, the rest of his enormous self was stretched across his side of the bed.

Shadow knew to stay on his side of the bed, but he always got this little concession after they both fell asleep.

After breakfast and a morning escapade in the backyard, Edelgard began to prepare herself for the upcoming trial. She trusted her old classmate dearly, and knew she needn’t worry over Shadow where the diva was considered. But the fear of the wrong people seeing her dog was still a concern, private classes or no.

It didn’t help that Edelgard wasn’t too sure how Shadow would handle the situation, either. He was so used to being at home, with her backyard large enough to support his energy, and more than enough resources to care for him at home. The capacity to call in personal veterinarians or dog groomers had helped as well. But to take him outside, into the real world?

Edelgard wasn’t even sure if Shadow knew what the front door was, let alone where it went.

When the time was soon upon them, Edelgard reluctantly began what she expected to be an arduous process. She pulled out a leash and collar from a side table in her bedroom, and hid it behind her back. Shadow was settled on the floor of the sitting room, a large bone-like treat held fast between his huge paws. He’d been in the process of gnawing it, when his floppy ears perked up as they caught her arrival.

Shadow quickly dropped the treat, and trotted up to her, his tail happily wagging behind him. He butted his head against her chest, and Edelgard giggled as she gently hugged him.

“Shadow, big boy...I have a surprise for you.”

She slowly pulled back, and held out the two accessories to him. Shadow immediately sniffed at the new objects, only for his ears to pin back and for him to swiftly backpedal away. A low growl rumbled from his chest, even as his snout remained tightly closed. Edelgard quickly dropped the items and pushed them away. Shadow watched their path, then rushed up to Edelgard to once again rub his great head against her.

Edelgard hugged him tightly, fists clenched in his dense, thick coat. They were close enough, she could  _ feel _ the growl morph into a low keening whine.

“Shh, Shadow, hush...it’s okay, it’s just me.” She whispered to him, her voice soft and all but dripping with care.

Shadow let his whine peak before he quieted, and shifted to sit down. That forced his head to pull away, but he quickly nosed her hands for further pets. Edelgard acquiesced to the request, and gently stroked his jaws on both sides.

“Shadow, I need to take you somewhere, do you understand? It’s just for a little while, and it’s for both our sakes. I know you don’t like collars, but it’d be better for you, all right?”

Shadow huffed and keened and moaned, almost like he was trying to talk. Words or no words, his complaints were clear.

“I understand, but it’s human rules, okay? It’ll be easier for me if people think you’re not wild.”

Shadow pulled away and fell into a pounce-ready crouch, his tongue lolled out as he excitedly beamed up at her. Edelgard sighed and rolled her eyes, an affectionate smile belying her amusement.

“Yes yes, I know, you’re a fearsome, wild beast. But we need to at least pretend you’re tame, understood.”

Shadow hugged derisively, and plopped to the floor. He laid his head down and simply laid still, and Edelgard saw her chance. She retrieved the collar, and chose to forgo the leash for now; baby steps for her poor Shadow. She brought the navy-dyed leather to him, and he lifted his head. Edelgard slowly, gently wrapped it around him, glad she didn’t have to resize it as she looped the belt-like straps.

It was amusing to see how the collar clashed with the dense expanse of fur about his thick neck. Even more so amusing, to watch Shadow grunt and huff and toss himself about after Edelgard had pulled away. A few rambunctious zoomies and some errant scratches later, and Shadow finally settled into the collar. He sat and drooped his head, and looked up at his person.

Edelgard raised an eyebrow as she smirked at him. “Are you quite finished?”

Shadow replied with a deep, brief howl, and smiled wide as he painted lightly.

She beckoned him to follow her to the front door, and as expected, the mongrel tilted his head like a puppy as he watched Edelgard open the door. He slowly padded his way over, and scanned the threshold as he passed through it. Once he realized there was more outside behind the door, excited grunts and whines sounded off as he bounded into the front yard.

Whereas the backyard was a carefully manicured wilderness, the front was every bit what you’d expect to see in front of a small but luxurious home. Shadow was in the midst of rolling on his back, digging his mighty shoulders into the dirt, no doubt making a mess of himself. Edelgard sighed past her smile as she approached her Camaro, and opened the passenger door. Once she pushed the seat forward to allow access to the back, she looked back to Shadow, then put two fingers to her mouth and whistled.

Shadow stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, eyes perked up at the whistle. The moment she waved him over, the mongrel leaped to his paws and bounded over. He shied away from the car at first, eyes locked on the interior as he muffled a low growl.

“Shadow, look at me.” Edelgard gently ordered.

The dog shook his head at first, then glanced up at her, head tilted sweetly.

“It’s just me, okay?” She assured the beast, and reached out to pet his huge head. “It’s safe, I promise, hop on in.”

Shadow gave her hand a quick lick as she pulled it away, then quickly launched himself into the backseat. It was just roomy enough for him, but him alone, as Shadow took up the entire backseat. He lounged across the two whole seats, and small middle one, and panted happily from his spot. Edelgard rolled her eyes, but managed to stifle a giggle as she got into the driver’s seat.

She drove them to the address of Dorothea’s class, a homey little farmhouse not too far from the city. There were plenty of animals on the property, from horses to cows to chickens, even an errant goose marched its way about the front yard. Edelgard pulled up her car by what she was sure was Dorothea’s, and looked back to Shadow.

“Stay put and be good, all right? I’ll be right back for you.”

Shadow whined and spoke a mighty complaint, but Edelgard just smiled and scratched under his snout.

“You’ll survive, Shadow. I won’t be long.”

He huffed indignantly, but settled back into the seats and stayed put. Satisfied, Edelgard got out of her car and approached the front door. Before she’d even raised a hand to knock, the wide door swung inward, and suddenly she was wrapped up in a vigorous hug.

“ _ Edie! _ ” The excited squeal sounded off in her ear, awfully close, too. “It’s so good to see you, it’s been far too long!”

Edelgard wiped off the cringe from the sudden loud squeal, and managed a smile as she hugged the woman back. “It certainly has, Dorothea. I apologize for never getting back in touch with you until now.”

Dorothea pulled back from the hug to wave a dismissive hand, her usual charming smirk wide on her face. “Oh think nothing of it, Edie. I know you’re a busy woman, regardless of if you’re still CEO or not. I’m just so pleasantly surprised you have a dog, and one who apparently needs my magic touch.”

Edelgard discreetly glanced back at her car, the bright yellow paint glaring in the sunlight, and nodded. “Yes, as sweet as he is, Shadow tends to be rather rambunctious. I decided there was nothing to lose by simply trying.”

Dorothea sobered up and nodded. “Oh I understand, I’ve already helped with plenty of dogs already. At least it seems he’ll be motivated to listen, if he loves you as much as you imply.”

The former singer looked up at Edelgard’s car as the pair walked out to it, and her earlier smirk returned. “A yellow Camaro with black stripes? Not exactly your style, Edie. I would’ve expected, oh, I don’t know...black, or red.”

Edelgard sighed heavily as she reached the passenger door. “Oh I know, but I lost a bet with Claude, and honestly the car performs too well for me to get rid of it.”

She gripped the door handle, only to hesitate and bite her lip. Edelgard glanced back at Dorothea with a pensive frown, one the other woman picked up on quickly.

“Fair warning, there’s a reason why I was rather...vague...about Shadow in the application.”

Dorothea raised an eyebrow but nodded, and watched as Edelgard pulled the door open. She pushed the passenger seat forward and moved out of the way, and Shadow wasted no time to crawl his way out and leap onto the dirt. He immediately shook himself upon achieving freedom from the cramped car, and only Edelgard noticed Dorothea’s shocked gasp. The diva stared at Shadow, before she finally tore her gaze away to look at Edelgard.

“Shadow is a rescue, Dorothea.” She whispered, as she watched her dear boy scratch his neck by the collar. “Needless to say, where he was before was not kind to him.”

Dorothea stared back at the seemingly chill dog, and held a hand over her face. Eventually, as if he picked up on either the silence or the tension, Shadow’s ears perked up. He swung his large head over to look at the two women, and quickly rose to his paws and padded happily over to Edelgard. Shadow wasted no time to bump his head against her chest, and she didn’t hesitate to loosely hug his fluffy mug.

Edelgard looked up at Dorothea, who was now smiling serenely at the pair.

“I can absolutely work with this. Let’s get started, shall we?”

Dorothea led the pair to a secluded part of the yard, that was kept apart from all the farmstock. Edelgard had inquired as to when and how the former diva lived on a ranch of all things. The woman simply giggled, and explained it was all her wife’s work. Apparently, she enjoyed both the labor and the caretaking of animals, if in a much broader sense than Dorothea did. Amused and delighted to hear how her old friend had been doing, Edelgard took in the explanation happily.

The class hadn’t even started when the dirt-crunching din of an approaching car caught everyone’s attention. Dorothea tilted her head and frowned as she glanced towards the driveway.

“Odd...Petra isn’t going to be home for a while, and no one else should be here…”

Before Dorothea could investigate, a panicked shout sounded off from the driveway. The women watched in equal confusion and shock as a small blur ran its way over, the only sign of its arrival a break in the grass. Edelgard watched, wide-eyed, as a small weiner dog stood on its hind legs and furiously pawed at Dorothea’s shin. The blue merle-coated dog was evidently very excited to see the woman, a dachshund looking creature whose hair was far longer and curlier than it should be, with a short snout.

“Sothis, no! We’ve talked about this!”

Edelgard looked up at the voice, and felt her heart stutter.

A lean, athletic looking woman sprinted up to them, her speed no match for the dachshund that had left her behind. Though the woman seemed perfectly capable, the sudden chase after her dog left her winded. As the newcomer approached and leaned on her knees, her blue-hued hair draped past her head, she held up one finger for them to wait. When she finally caught her breath and looked up at them, Edelgard momentarily forgot the world for the cornflower eyes that met her lilacs.

Shadow simply gave Edelgard a look, and she batted his head away.


End file.
